Hardy Hibiscus ????Where

I'm a newbie when comes to hibiscus. I love the look of tropical hibiscus, but I lose them to frost every year if I plant them in the ground. I have a few in 14" pots and take them into my greenhouse for the winter.

I would like to plant some hibiscus in the garden so I'm going to have to use hardy hibiscus. The one local nursery only carries Rose of Sharon. That means I will have to order from somewhere else. I want some advice, please. What do you grow? How big does it get? Color? What catalog nurseries do you recommend? I would appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

BettyDee

http://www.forestfarm.com/search/closeup.asp?PlantID=himo029

http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/search.html?co=yes&mv_more_alpha=yes&mv_more_alpha_chars=1&tf=name&rf=code%2C+name%2C+short_desc%2C+price%2C+qty%2C+new_plant%2Cdisc&st=db&sf=disc&su=0&op=ne&nu=1&sf=%3Acode%3Aname%3Acommon_name%3Ashort_desc%3Adescripti

Here's a couple links to get you started. I love hibiscus. I have several tropicals in pots (H rosa-sinensis) and several hardies in the yard (H moscheutos). My hardies get 4-5 feet tall here in MI, I imagine even bigger down where you are. I have a red, a pink, and a white with a red eye, all unnamed but beautiful. Try the Garden Watchdog, the Plant Files, and the Plant Scout. That will get you lots of info.

Bettydee:
I have most colors of hardy hibiscus & I grow them from seed. I have several comming up now & I still have a few seeds left over.

IF you want some seed to start You can send me your e-mail address & Give me your mailing address.I have bubble envelopes so you won't have send me no stamps & I can get them to you right away.

I have several kinds of seeds started & most have come up. I have 150 rose bushes so I have a big slection to get seeds from.

Not all plants produce seeds!! From hibiscus to rose bushes & others.

My e-mail address is,
Jerrythacker@ webtv.net

My home address is
Jerry Thacker
619 e park ave
Des Moines,IA
50315
Let me know if you want seeds & I can get them out to you this weekend.

BettyDee, I started 6 hardy hibiscus from seed last year and they all bloomed the first year. Mine were the Southern Belle mixed colors from Parkseed. They were so easy to start from seed (not to mention much cheaper) that you may want to take advantage of Jerry's kind offer of seed.

sylvi74, thank you for the links. I've bookmarked the 2 sites. This past week has been very hectic here on the ranch. I'm hoping things will calm down long enough for me to get back to my garden and hibiscus research.

Jerry, I've sent you an e-mail with my address. Thank you for your generous offer. I will gladly accept whatever you want to send me.

nathalyn, it sounds as if I could see some color before the year is out. I'm really looking forward to starting some seed.

Veronica

Veronica:
I checked my e-mail & did not get your e-mail. I will wait another day & see if it comes through.
Thanks Jerry.

bettydee,

I ordered several hardy hibiscus plants from Wayside Gardens (sister company to Park's) - I ordered Fireball, Fantasia and Kopper King. They came in small 4" pots with no growth, so I planted them as they came last spring. Well, all of them grew to 3 or 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide the first summer, and the Fireballs in particular performed phenominally. The flowers were bright red and 9" to 10" across, just as advertised. We'll see how well they return this year. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. The plant in the picture was planted last spring, and the picture was taken July 12, 2004.

Steve

Steve,

Thanks for reminding me about Wayside Nursery. I've ordered from them before and guess I overlooked Fireball and Fantasia. I bought Kopper King last year, but had assumed it was a tropical hibiscus.

BettyDee

There was a snafu in the hardy hibiscus co-op and I'm left wanting. Would anyone here be willing to trade for some cuttings from their plants? I'd be willing to trade for just about anything from my garden.

My Journal -> http://davesgarden.com/journal/j/sj/dstartz/0/
My Trade List -> http://davesgarden.com/trading/tl/dstartz/

With thanks in advance,

Donna

dstartz: I just sent a order to kelly nurseries & sent for 12 hardy hibiscus for $5.65. They also have Rose of Sharon plants 48 plants for $29.95, They have several good deals on their plants.Their address is-
www.kelly nurseries.com
Jerry.

I went to their site but could only a singular hibiscus. On which page of their catalog should I look?

rebel888,

DG's Garden Watchdog shows Kelly Nurseries as 90% negative. I hope that your order is part of that 10%. I think of that old adage "If it's too good to be true..."
BettyDee

Hi!

I have 5 different hardy ones.....I love them!! Just make sure you know they take forever to come up in the spring.....You will think they died, but they are very late to come up is all....

Here is an excellent place to order the hardy ones. Tell them Lucy sent ya.

http://www.perennialnursery.com/plantinfo/hibiscus.html

Good Luck!!